The present invention relates to a spout cap, and specifically to a spout of a can containing a liquefied article such as a lubricant or a cooking oil, constructed to be inserted into or drawn out of a container, and formed as a structure capable of sealing and releasable sealing.
The liquefied article supplied to unspecified individuals shall be filled into a container of excellent sealing for the prevention of the deterioration of contents. Also, in order to prevent any person from pouring impurities such as a poison into the liquefied article or from diluting the liquefied article for reducing the purity, it is necessary that once the container is open, it is impossible to re-seal the container.
Meanwhile, since a liquefied article such as lubricant or cooking oil is used successively in a holding/installing state by the consumer, the cap of the container is to be sealed by means of a special can plug such as a spout cap.
There are several types of can plug inserted into the pouring hole of the metal container on the market. However, although these can plugs are good for sealing, the liquefied oil such as lubricant oil is occasionally flowed out in unintended places when the oil is poured out of the metal container since the height of the can plug is low.
FIG. 1 is a cross-section showing the prior art one step type spout cap in which the straw part is in an overlapped state, and FIG. 2 is a cross-section showing the spout cap of FIG. 1 in which the straw part is in a drawn out state.
As shown in these Figs., the prior art spout cap (10), in which the straw part (12) is endowed with the function of the tap of the metal container (1), comprises: a coupling part (11) fixedly coupling with a pouring hole (1a) of a metal container (1); a straw part (12) extending at a predetermined length on the interior face of the coupling part (11); and a cap coupling part (13) provided at the end of the straw part (12), wherein a can plug (16) is coupled with the coupling part (13).
The coupling part (11) is coupled with the pouring outlet (1a) of the metal container (1), the straw part (12) is formed to be thinner as compared with the coupling part (11) so that the straw part (12) is inserted into or drawn out, on the basis of the coupling part (11) fixedly coupled with the pouring hole (1a) of the metal container (1).
It is preferable to form the cap coupling part (13) thicker and stronger than the straw part (12), as like the coupling part (11), so that, during the flowing out of contents in the metal container (1), contents can be prevented from draining into unintended places due to any deformation in the shape of the cap coupling part (13).
Also, a screw part (13a) which couples the can plug with the cap coupling part (13) is formed at the upper outer face of the cap coupling part (13), and the cap coupling part (13) is provided on the lower inner face with a tear-off film (14) connected to a weakened part (14a) in order to prevent an unintended outflow of contents in the metal container (1) in initial opening of the can plug.
An annular pull-tap loop (15) fixedly coupled on the upper end of the tear-off film (14) draws out and tears off the film (14) in order to easily open the film (14).
With this structure, if the user intends to outflow contents in the metal container (1) to the outside, by pulling the can plug (16) screwed into the cap coupling part (13), the flexible structured straw part (12) and the cap coupling part (13) are drawn out of the metal container (1) in the outer direction on the basis of the coupling part (11).
While the straw part (12) and the cap coupling part (13) are drawn out to the outer side, the can plug (16) is turned and divided from the cap coupling part (13), and then the pouring outlet is opened.
Thereafter, by pulling and tearing off the weakened part (14a) using the pull-tap loop (15) and by removing the tear-off film (14), contents in the metal container (1) can be flowed out.
After the outflow of contents in the metal container (1) is completed, the process described in the above is executed reversely so that the inflow of impurities into the metal container (1) is prevented, and contents in the metal container (1) can be protected clearly.
However, in this type of prior art spout cap (10), while the functions for preventing from contaminating and for sealing are good, there is a drawback that the engine oil may be flowed out since the length of the straw part (12) is so short not to be inserted into an engine oil hole, an oiling hole, and the like when the straw part (12) is drawn out of the can plug (16).
Furthermore, in the prior art type spout cap (10), since the metal container (1) and the spout cap (10) are standardized and produced and the length of the straw part is limited, contents in the metal container are not poured into the desired other container and place correctly, and are flowed around the other container or place. To solve this drawback, only extending the length of the straw part results in the reduction of the interior volume in the metal container, and it is limited to raise the height of the pouring outlet so that the prior automatic coupling cannot be used because the height of the assembled spout is raised.
In another prior art spout cap invented by this applicant and disclosed in South Korean Utility Model Application No. 20-1997-0040317, the length of the can plug is one step type, and the length of the extension part drawn out of the metal container is long. However, in the mass production system, although the metal container and the can plug shall be coupled together by means of the automatic production line, it is difficult to combine the can plug with the metal container, since the can plug falls down or tips over due to the higher length of the can plug, and therefore the production process must be modified.